In some quarters, it is suggested that reviewing often boils down to nitpicking as it is not always easy to choose between several releases of the same composition that are of equal or similar quality in terms of performance and recording. Small imperfections risk being overexposed to decide which is the better one. However, it is more complicated than that. A minor slip or an unexpectedly tumultuous approach doesn’t per se disqualify a reading. Besides, tastes differ and what one finds great may not be receptive to another. Nothing is as volatile as a considered judgment by an experienced, music lover’s ear. I bet there are as many as the number of regular visitors to this site.

It crossed my mind listening to Lekeu’s Violin Sonata, obviously the main item on this new ARS release. Music is not only about listening but also about understanding to allow a score to fully come to bloom. I won’t repeat all that’s in the book, but this francophone Belgian composer had the misfortune to die at age 24 from typhoid. It follows that this Sonata was written by a young man with grand ideas. Trying to encompass all that looms ahead in life

It took me a while to realise that Italian blood had crept into an honest and straightforward reading. Carlotta Malquory (violin) and Andrea D’Amato (piano) follow a romantically meandering though at times bumpy path full of expectation. Amidst feelings of lyrical emotion and persuasive compassion, Lekeu’s Sonata is in places also boisterously expressive and that is exactly what these two artists set down in their highly personal account. Different though it may be, it compares well, with other available hi-resolution recordings.

Many of Messiaen’s compositional ideas float in the air. One can hear them but one is not able to grasp them as though they are mere fata morgana. His Theme & Variations fall in that category. This loftiness demands more from musicians than one assumes. Musicians have to come to grips with its mysterious and esoterically colour-shaping character to be able to pass it on to the listener. Carlotta and Andrea do. Carlotta draws long and transparent lines from her violin like a spider in autumn, followed and supported by dancing pearls of water from Andrea’s piano. The picture develops in each of the variations, pressing forward without hastiness or ill-judged beautification, letting it finally disappear in thin air.

Nicolas Bacri mimics Brahms in style but his fourth Violin Sonata is dressed in a contemporary coat. New to me, and I enjoyed much of it. A strictly personal opinion, of course. Written in 1961 it is not disturbingly modern and diving into its structure Brahms becomes ‘visible’. Typically, a work of a true artisan. The duo Malquory - D’Amato deliver a solid performance albeit having to negotiate some difficulties in the last two movements that do not, as said above, disqualify a worthy reading.

For me, the encore, however playful, might have been omitted, as it does not make the programme more French. That said, non-French speakers may not be too worried about pronunciation in a famous chanson.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

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